Conventionally, a plasma processing apparatus such as a sputtering apparatus includes a vacuum chamber which accommodates a deposition shield that surrounds the plasma generation space so as to prevent sputtered particles and other particles from adhering onto the inner wall of the vacuum chamber and shield the plasma generation space against these particles. Patent reference 1 discloses an example of a sputtering apparatus including a conductive deposition shield.
As shown in patent reference 1, a deposition shield is divided and formed to be openable/closable so as to load a substrate onto a substrate stage at the time of substrate loading. If the deposition shield is completely closed in the division portions after the substrate loading, the film which has adhered onto the surface of the deposition shield peels off due to, e.g., vibration upon opening/closing, thus generating particles. To prevent this, the division portions are maintained in a noncontact state with gaps (1 mm or less) between them, that are narrow enough not to leak the plasma.